Clothes-line support



(NoModeL) v 1 l G. L. SUHWALM. CLOTHES LINE SUPPORT.

No. 592,099. Patented Oot. 19, 1897 [22 were tor. (Zaz/wl. AYC/EMa/m.

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ATENT 7 CLOTHES-LINE SUPPORT.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 592,099, dated October19, 1897.

Application filed July 6, 1897. Serial No. 648,590. (No model.)

T at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES LEONARD SOHWALM, a citizen of the UnitedStates, re-

siding in New Britain, in the county of Hartford and State ofConnecticut, have invent-ed certain new and useful Improvements inClothes-Line Supports, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a-clothes-hnesuping part ,of thisspecification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of an endless clothes lineequipped with my support, illustrating the latter in its workingposition. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the support with its locker.

in the ineffective position thereof, a portion of the line being alsorepresented in said figure; and Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view takenin the line w 00, Fig. 1, and as seen from theright, the left-handsupport for the line not being illustrated in said figure.

Similar characters designate like parts in all the figures of thedrawings.

My improved clothes-line support (designated in a general way by S)embodies alongitudinal body portion bifurcated at its opposite ends, theupper bifurcation being intended to receive a wheel or pulley adapted totravel along the upper run of the line, and the space within the lowerbifurcation serving as a pocket to receive a shoe or pad of yielding orelastic material, such as rubber, and a locker consisting of a leverprovided with a cam-head preferably recessed or notched and pivotedbetween the branches of the lower bifurcation, so as to cooperate withthe said shoe or pad and to act as a clamp for biting or gripping thelower run of the line to hold the support in a fixed or predeterminedposition, which is generally at its middle, al-

though it is obvious that in a very long line a plurality of thesupports may be employed.

The line is designated by L, it being of the endless class and passedaround the supporting-pulleys 2 and 3, whose brackets 4 and .5,respectively, can be suitablysecured to convenient supports, the houseend of the line being designated by H.

The support S comprehends a body portion, such as B, consisting of alongitudinal bar bifurcated at its opposite ends, as at 6 and 7,respectively, said body portion being conveniently made in one piece.

The upper and lower runs 8 and 9, respectively, of the clothes-line passbetween the branches of the bifurcations 6 and 7, as shown in Fig. 3, sothat the support, in connection with a suitable pulley or wheel mountedbetween the upper bifurcation and a locker supported between the lowerbifurcation, is maintained positively in place on the line. A groovedroller or pulley is shown at 10, it being supported between the membersor branches of the upper bifurcation. The pulley has theprojecting-pivots 12 and 13, respectively, on its opposite faces,working in bearings or apertures in the two branches of the bifurcation,and is located over the upper run of the line. The lower bifurcation 7is widened out at its upper end, as at 15, to form a pocket 16 for thereception and the retention of a shoe or pad of yielding material, suchas rubber, said rubber shoe or pad being designated by 17 and being of ashape corresponding with the shape of its pocket 16 to fit tightlytherein.

The locker for the support is designated by 18, and it consists of alever pivoted between the branches of the lower bifurcation 7. Thelocking-lever 18 has a cam-head or enlargement 19, provided withoppositely-disposed pivots 20 and 21, respectively workingin hearings inthe two branches of the lower bifurcation 7, as represented in Fig. 3.

The lower run 9 of the clothes-line L is passed between the branches ofthe lower bifurcation 7, the yielding pad or shoe 17 lying over andsubstantially contiguous to or against said lower run. The working faceor portion of the cam-head 19 has a recess or notch 22, adapted topartially receive the lower run of the line, so that the rope, on therelease of the cam-lever 18, can be forced tightly against the shoe orpad 17.

The handle portion h of the lever is gravitative or self-active, itbeing weighted, as at 7b, to a suflicient degree, so that when releasedit will drop from a substantially horizontal to a vertical position toforce the cam-head 19 against the lower run 9 of the line, thereby, inconjunction with the rubber shoe 17,tightly gripping said line.

In Fig. 2 the cam-lever is shown in its ineffective position, where itis held by a suitable detent, such as the spring-catch 25, secured, asat 26, to the widened portion of the body portion 13, the hook 27 ofsaid catch being adapted to engage the projection or lug 28 on thehandle 72 near the cam-head 10. The spring-catch terminates in afingerpiece 29. To release the weighted handle 7t so that it can drop,the finger-piece 20 is pressed outward and the hook 27 of the catchswung from under the projection 28.

In use the lower run 9 of the line will be filled with clothing to aboutits middle, and the support S will then be locked or clamped to the lineby the release of the lever 18, in the manner aforesaid. The remaininghalf of the lower run 9 will then be utilized as a support for clothing,the support itself being, when the line is completely filled withclothing, situated at the middle of said line, as represented in Fig. 1,so as substantially to tie two runs of the line at their middle, wherebythe strain exerted by the clothing is approximately equally applied toeach run, so as to prevent material sagging of the line. \Vhen not inuse, the support will be stationed at the house end II of the line andthe looking or cam lever 18 unelamped from the lower run 9, as shown inFig. 2, and held by the springcatch 25.

\Vhen the clothing is placed on the lower run of the line, the upper runthereof will be grasped and fed in the direction indicated by the arrowin Fig. 1.

Having described my invention, I claim- 1. A support for endlessclothes-lines, consisting of a longitudinal body portion bifurcated atits opposite ends; a wheel pivotally supported between the branches ofthe upperbifurcation; an elastic shoe fitted in a pocket formed by thelower bifurcation; and a locking-lever pivoted between the branches ofthe lower bifurcation and having a cam -head adapted to cooperate withsaid shoe.

2. A support for endless clothes-lines, consisting of a longitudinalbodyportion; a wheel supported at the upper end of the body portion; anelastic shoe fitted in a pocket formed in the lower part of thebodyportion; a locking-lever pivoted to said body portion and having aweighted handle and also having a camhead adapted to cooperate with saidshoe; and a sprin g-eatch secured to the body portion and furnished witha hook adapted to engage a projection on said handle portion.

3. A support for endless clothes-lines, eonsisling of a longitudinalbody portion bifurcated at its opposite ends and widened near its lowerend; a wheel pivotally supported between the branches of the upperbifurcation; I

an elastic shoe fitted in a pocket formed by the lower bifurcation; alocking-lever provided with a cam-head pivoted between the branches ofthe lower bifurcation and having a line-receiving notch, the handle ofthe locking-lever being weighted and f urnishcd with aprojection nearthe cam-head and a springcatch secured to said widened portion andhaving a hook adapted to engage said projection.

CHARLES LEONA Ill) SCllWALlI.

lVitnesses:

FRED APEL, LUKE BOWEN.

